Tips to help save money in your home

As a single parent I know money is very limited. I am always looking for ways to save money. I thought I would share with you some tips I follow:

The dreaded standby!

Tip 1; The obvious one - Turn appliances off standby
I know everyone tells you that turning an appliance off standby will save you money, but when you think you are wasting £30 a year from just leaving one appliance on standby; that's quite a lot when you could have three or four left on. Remember:

• you can't switch most electronic goods off just with the remote control
• to turn off an appliance completely, use the power switch on the appliance itself or turn it off at the plug
• if a charger or power pack is warm or has a light on, it's probably using power

Energy efficient light bulb and a
normal light bulb

Tip 2: Use energy efficient light bulbs

I have energy efficient light bulbs in all the main lights I use. I can assure you they don't flicker but they do start off dim and gradually get lighter as they warm up; but that's a small price to pay as they will help reduce the cost of your electricity bill! Now that they are many designs they won't stick out above your lampshades! There is a calculator which shows you how much you could save if you started to use energy efficient light bulbs. If every UK home installed three energy efficient light bulbs, it would save enough energy to power all of the UK's street lights! Also, try to remember to switch the lights off every time you leave a room.

Tip 3; In the kitchen

When your thinking of making a babies bottle or a cup of tea; try to only boil a kettle with as much water as you need. This will help save electric as your only boiling water you need to use. Remember when cooking to cover pots and pans as they will boil a lot quicker. Try to match the size of the cooking ring to the size of the saucepan to avoid heating the air. You could try to cook several different foods on one ring with a steamer (this would be perfect for vegetables). Remember to check that the fridge door isn't left open as it takes energy to cool it down again (I know my little one loves playing with the fridge door if I don't remember to lock it!)

Turn it down by one degree!

Tip 4; Turn your central heating down

Now I know your thinking; I don't want to turn my heating down as I will be cold. But you only need to turn it down by one degree; this could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. I bet you won't even notice the difference! You could also turn down your immersion heater temperature down by one degree too - you'll save energy and you're unlikely to notice the difference.

Tip 5: Buy energy efficient appliances

I know as a parent you do lots of washing and in the winter you rely on a tumble dryer; but by buying an energy efficient one could help save you money. Energy efficient appliances are easy to find and aren't necessarily more expensive. When choosing a new appliance look out for the ones which display the labels below:

Energy Saving Trust Recommended label

• Energy Saving Trust Recommended label
  Appliances which show the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label are among the top 20% most efficient available

European Union Energy label

• European Union energy label
  EU energy labels on fridges, freezers and washing machines show how energy efficient an appliance is on a scale of A to G. A is the most efficient and G is the least efficient.